大乘寶月童子問法經

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was dwelling on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, in the city of Rājagṛha, together with a great assembly of bhikṣus numbering fifty-five thousand koṭis, all single-mindedly practicing the conduct of Bodhi; together with bodhisattvas such as Aparājita and the rest, numbering eighty hundred thousand countless koṭis of nayutas; and together with devas, humans, and the rest, numbering hundreds of thousands of nayutas.

At that time, when the hour for the alms-round had come, the World-Honored One put on his robe, took up his almsbowl, and together with the assembly of bhikṣus and the bodhisattvas, devas, nāgas, spirits, and the rest, reverently surrounding him, entered the great city of Rājagṛha to beg for alms.

At that time the prince of Bimbisāra, a youth named Ratnacandra, having some business to attend to, rode forth from the great city of Rājagṛha upon a great nāga-elephant. Seeing the World-Honored One from afar, he at once descended from the nāga-elephant and went to the place where the Buddha was. Reverently bowing his head, he prostrated himself at the Buddha's feet, then withdrew and stood to one side. The youth Ratnacandra addressed the Buddha:

"I beseech the World-Honored One, the Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, to expound the names of the Tathāgatas of the ten directions. If there be any good son or good daughter possessed of faith who, having heard these names, then whatever sins of the five heinous deeds they have committed and all their karmic obstructions shall be wiped away, and they shall swiftly attain Unsurpassed Perfect Enlightenment and never again fall back."

At that time the World-Honored One said to the youth Ratnacandra:

"Excellent! Excellent! You are able to delight in hearing the meaning of the names of the Tathāgatas. This thought is good and fine; all sinful karma shall surely be wiped away. O youth! Listen well and reflect carefully upon it; I shall expound it for you.

"O youth! In the Eastern Quarter, at a distance from here of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of Buddha-lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, there is a world named Free of Sorrow, and there is a Tathāgata named Bhadraśrī, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, who has few illnesses and few troubles, and who constantly expounds the subtle and wondrous Dharma for the sake of all sentient beings.

The lifespan of that Buddha is sixty hundred thousand myriads of koṭis of nayutas of countless kalpas. In that world there is no sun, no moon, no day, and no night; there is only the radiance of the Buddha, which shines forth upon all and reaches all the realms of sentient beings in the hells, among the animals, and in the realm of Yama, causing them to attain liberation, and immeasurable sentient beings attain the Forbearance of the Non-Arising of Dharmas."

The Buddha said to the youth:

"In the Southern Quarter, at a distance from here of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of Buddha-lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, there is a world named Tranquil and Pure, and in that land there is a Tathāgata named Anantaprabha, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, who constantly expounds the subtle and wondrous Dharma for the sake of all sentient beings."

The Buddha said to the youth:

"In the Western Quarter, at a distance from here of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of Buddha-lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, there is a world named Joyful, and there is a Tathāgata named Nandaśrī, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, who constantly expounds the subtle and wondrous Dharma for the sake of all sentient beings."

The Buddha said to the youth:

"In the Northern Quarter, at a distance from here of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of Buddha-lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, there is a world named Unshakable, and there is a Tathāgata named Ratnaketu, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, who constantly expounds the subtle and wondrous Dharma for the sake of all sentient beings."

The Buddha said to the youth:

"In the Southeastern Quarter, at a distance from here of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of Buddha-lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, there is a world named Right Conduct, and there is a Tathāgata named Aśokaśrī, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, who constantly expounds the subtle and wondrous Dharma for the sake of all sentient beings."

The Buddha said to the youth:

"In the Southwestern Quarter, at a distance from here of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of Buddha-lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, there is a world named Auspicious Jeweled Banner, and there is a Tathāgata named Ratnaketu, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, who constantly expounds the subtle and wondrous Dharma for the sake of all sentient beings."

The Buddha said to the youth:

"In the Northwestern Quarter, at a distance from here of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of Buddha-lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, there is a world named Wondrous Sound, and there is a Tathāgata named Śrīpuṣpa, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, who constantly expounds the subtle and wondrous Dharma for the sake of all sentient beings."

The Buddha said to the youth:

"In the Northeastern Quarter, at a distance from here of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of Buddha-lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, there is a world named Bliss and Peace, and there is a Tathāgata named Padmaprabha Vikrīḍita-jñāna (Lotus-Radiance Sporting Wisdom), Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, who constantly expounds the subtle and wondrous Dharma for the sake of all sentient beings."

The Buddha said to the youth:

"In the Lower Quarter, at a distance from here of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of Buddha-lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, in that land there is a world named Vast and Great, and there is a Tathāgata named Prabhāśrī (Radiant Light Auspicious), Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, who constantly expounds the subtle and wondrous Dharma for the sake of all sentient beings."

The Buddha said to the youth:

"In the Upper Quarter, at a distance from here of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of Buddha-lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, there is a world named Moonlight, and there is a Tathāgata named Dhanaśrī (Wealth Auspicious), Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, who constantly expounds the subtle and wondrous Dharma for the sake of all sentient beings.

"O youth! All such worlds and Buddha-lands as these possess pure pavilions and palaces of sandalwood, and they bear the names of the Tathāgatas. Whosoever, having heard these names, reverently upholds them, copies them out, recites them, and expounds them widely for the people—then though they be one who has committed the sins of the five heinous deeds and the rest, all their sinful obstructions shall be wiped away, and they shall no longer fall into the realms of the hells, the animals, or the realm of Yama. With respect to Unsurpassed Perfect Enlightenment they shall swiftly attain the state of non-retrogression. What do you think of this?

"O youth! In the past, at a time exceedingly distant—boundless, countless kalpas ago—there was then a world named Jewel-Born, and there was a Tathāgata named Vīryaśrī, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One. Those ten Tathāgatas, while at the place of the Buddha Vīryaśrī—still being in the station of bodhisattvas—therefore made offerings before that Buddha and uttered this vow: 'May each of us, in our own Buddha-land—when we attain Unsurpassed Perfect Enlightenment—if there be any sentient being who, over a span of time, or even for but a moment's span, hears the names of these ten Buddhas of ours, and having heard them, reverently upholds them, copies them out, recites them,

and expounds them widely for the people—then even though they have committed the sins of the five heinous deeds and the rest, together with all their sinful karma, all of it shall be wiped away, and they shall not fall into the realms of the hells, the animals, or the realm of Yama.

With respect to Unsurpassed Perfect Enlightenment they shall swiftly attain non-retrogression.'"

At that time, the youth Ratnacandra, having heard this, again addressed the Buddha:

"Reverently I ask, World-Honored One! How long is the lifespan of those Buddha-Tathāgatas?"

The World-Honored One replied:

"Those Buddhas live for ten asaṃkhyeyas of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of kalpas, as many as the dust-motes of the world."

Having heard this, the youth addressed the Buddha:

"Those Buddha-Tathāgatas are truly rare and wondrous. With such loving-kindness, they made their vows for the sake of all sentient beings and so obtained such lifespans."

The Buddha said to the youth:

"If there be any sentient being who hears the names of these ten Buddhas, reverently upholds them, copies them out, recites them, and with faith and delight practices them, then the immeasurable, boundless merit thereby gained shall all be made complete, and the sins belonging to the three kinds of karma shall be unable to arise.

"O youth! If there be any good son or good daughter who, toward Buddha-lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, makes offerings to the Tathāgatas with the seven treasures filling those lands for a span of hundreds of thousands of years, they shall thereby gain immeasurable merit. Yet if a good son or good daughter hears the names of these ten Buddhas, reverently receives them with faith, copies them out and recites them, and expounds them for others, the merit and virtue thus gained shall be more than the merit and virtue of the offerings spoken of before—immeasurable and boundless."

At that time, the lord of the Sahā world, the Great Brahmā Heavenly King, the Heavenly Son Śakra, the Four Great Heavenly Kings, the Heavenly Son Sūrya, and the Heavenly Son Maheśvara took the most supreme fragrant powder of sandalwood incense and scattered it as an offering before the World-Honored One, and addressed the World-Honored One:

"If there be any sentient being who, toward this true Dharma, copies it out, recites it, believes and understands it, and upholds it, they shall be honored and worshipped by all devas, humans, and asuras. Those in the hells, among the animals, in the realm of Yama, in the bodies of asuras, and the hungry ghosts shall all win deliverance."

The Buddha said:

"If, toward this true Dharma, one hears it and then upholds and recites it, the evil and the enmity of Māra shall be unable to do them harm, and with respect to Unsurpassed Perfect Bodhi they shall swiftly attain non-retrogression."

At that time, the World-Honored One spoke a verse:

"Whoever upholds the names of these ten World-Honored Ones,
Shall thus live long through countless kalpas;
The merit the Buddha proclaims is beyond all conceiving—
In the future they shall accomplish the Honored One of Two-fold Perfection."

At that time, the youth Ratnacandra—son of King Bimbisāra—addressed the World-Honored One with a verse:

When the youth had finished speaking this verse, he addressed the World-Honored One:

"I have now obtained such forbearance as this; it is the dhāraṇī gateway of the bodhisattvas of great wisdom, it is the teaching of the Vaipulya, it is the Bodhi-conduct of the Buddhas. I cultivate and study, and I practice such Bodhi-conduct."

At that time the World-Honored One again spoke a verse:

"Whoever upholds the names of the Buddhas,
Water, fire, and robbers cannot harm them;
Poison, blades, cudgels, and the calamities of kings—
All such sufferings are of themselves wiped away.

"Thus shall they swiftly attain Bodhi;
Spread widely the names of the Buddhas. If this true Dharma should be in the age of the Dharma's decline, and there be one who upholds and recites it, then this person, after death, shall swiftly accomplish the Buddha-Way. If a person should, with incense and flowers, make offerings to all the Buddhas over a span of many kalpas, this does not equal one who, toward this true Dharma, copies it out and recites it for but a short time, thereby gaining immeasurable and boundless merit. If a person should take the seven treasures that they most delight in—filling all the lands of the earth—and make offerings to all the Buddhas, this likewise does not equal the reciting of this sūtra, whereby the merit gained is very great indeed."

When the Buddha had expounded this sūtra, there were immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of sentient beings who set forth the aspiration for Unsurpassed Perfect Enlightenment, and immeasurable, boundless sentient beings attained the Forbearance of the Non-Arising of Dharmas and, with respect to Unsurpassed Perfect Enlightenment, no longer fell back.

When the Buddha had expounded this sūtra, the youth Ratnacandra and the rest were all greatly joyful; they bowed their heads in homage and withdrew.

THE MAHĀYĀNA SŪTRA OF THE YOUTH RATNACANDRA'S INQUIRY INTO THE DHARMA

The End